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Florida A&M men's basketball coach Charlie Ward has tapped into his recruiting network to infuse the program with global talent. Entering his second season at the helm, Ward has brought in seven international players for the 2026-2027 campaign, each hailing from a different corner of the world.
The Rattlers' roster now includes guard Alex Montes (Puerto Rico), forward Jakub Lomicka (Czech Republic), forward Ben Ndour (Senegal), forward/center Mihailo Stijovic (Montenegro), Assane Mbaye (Senegal), center Joel Mokweza (Congo), and Tuscan Onuoha (Australia). Onuoha is the lone returner among the group, having suited up for FAMU last season.
All of the international players, with the exception of Ndour, attended high school or college in the United States. Ndour, a freshman, comes directly from Université de This in Senegal.
Ward emphasized that relationships formed the foundation of this recruiting strategy. "Essentially, it's all based around relationships," he said during Wednesday's Southwestern Athletic Conference Tipoff Men's Basketball Media Day Zoom coaches availability. "It's a great group of young men. They provide different cultures for us to understand and learn from. And we're all about diversity. So that's one of the ways that we've been able to incorporate diversity into our team."
But Ward was quick to point out that these players weren't brought in merely to check a diversity box. "We didn't bring them there just because of diversity. They're good basketball players and good people as well," he added. "The other young men we have, they've embraced the differences. We still have to work together to get the results that we're looking for."
FAMU is coming off a 15-16 overall record and an 11-7 mark in SWAC play. In Ward's first year, the Rattlers made a surprising run to the SWAC Tournament semifinals, where they fell to Southern on a buzzer-beating three-pointer, ending their season one game short of the championship round in March.
The SWAC preseason poll projected the Rattlers to finish fourth out of 12 teams. The top returning players are guards Antonio Baker Jr. and Jaquan Sanders. Both earned All-SWAC honors, with Sanders securing first-team recognition and Baker landing on the second team.
Ward revealed that FAMU is working to secure a fifth year of eligibility for Jaquan Sanders following the NCAA's 5-in-5 ruling. As for Baker, the senior was named the SWAC's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
"He's going to have to be all around more this year than he was last year because there's going to be more eyes on him," Ward said of Baker and his preseason accolades. "The other good part of it is that we have other people who can help support him. So he won't be the lone soldier. The preseason is the preseason, but you've got to go out and prove what people have thought of you. I'm just excited to see him put it out there on the floor. He's ready for the challenge."
Newcomers are led by Chandler Davis, a standout scoring guard from Hillsborough College, and Jayden 'JJ' Joseph, a four-star guard out of Gillion Basketball Academy. Overall, FAMU has 12 new players on a roster that features six sub-7-footers. The coaching staff prioritized transfer players who spent at least two years at their previous schools, specifically four-year institutions.
FAMU will play two exhibition games, starting with Warner visiting the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center this Tuesday, followed by Saint Leo on Oct. 27. The regular season tips off on Nov. 2 against Florida State in Tampa's Orion180 Tip-Off Classic. SWAC play begins on Jan. 2 when arch-rival Bethune-Cookman comes to Tallahassee.
"You know you have to be prepared to play every game," Ward said. "You want to develop good habits, winning habits. Being consistent every day. When the games come, the team that can fight through adversity the best and overcome is the team that's going to have the success."
Key Analysis
Ward's international recruiting strategy reflects a broader trend in college basketball, where programs seek undervalued talent abroad to gain a competitive edge. By blending experienced returners like Baker and Sanders with fresh faces from diverse backgrounds, the Rattlers aim to build chemistry and depth. The preseason prediction of a fourth-place finish suggests that the conference respects FAMU's potential, but the true test will be how quickly the new pieces mesh. With a challenging non-conference slate and a tough SWAC schedule, the Rattlers will need to rely on their defensive anchor in Baker and the scoring prowess of Sanders to exceed expectations.
Florida A&M men's basketball 2026-2027 schedule:
- Oct. 13: vs. Warner, TBD (Exhibition)
- Oct. 27: vs. Saint Leo, TBD (Exhibition)
- Nov. 2: vs. Florida State – Tampa (Orion180 Tip-Off Classic), 8:30 p.m.
- Nov. 5: vs. Fort Valley State, TBD
- Nov. 9: at UAB, TBD
- Nov. 11: vs. Missouri-Kansas City – St. Petersburg (Showdown in St. Pete), Noon
- Nov. 15: at UTEP, TBD
- Nov. 18: at UTSA, TBD
- Nov. 24: at South Alabama, TBD
- Nov. 30: at Kennesaw State, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 4: vs. Norfolk State – Washington, D.C. (Chris Paul HBCU Classic), 8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 5: vs. Tennessee State – Washington, D.C. (Chris Paul HBCU Classic), 6 p.m.
- Dec. 12: at Tulsa, TBD
- Dec. 15: at Saint Louis, TBD
- Dec. 21: at Florida, TBD
- Dec. 30: vs. Thomas, TBD
- Jan. 2: vs. Bethune-Cookman – SWAC, TBD
- Jan. 9: at Southern – SWAC, TBD
- Jan. 11: at Grambling State – SWAC, TBD
- Jan. 16: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff – SWAC, TBD
- Jan. 18: vs. Mississippi Valley State – SWAC, TBD
- Jan. 23: at Alcorn State – SWAC, 4 p.m.
- Jan. 25: at Jackson State – SWAC, 8 p.m.
- Jan. 30: vs. Alabama A&M – SWAC, TBD
- Feb. 1: vs. Alabama State – SWAC, TBD
- Feb. 6: at Texas Southern – SWAC, TBD
- Feb. 8: at Prairie View A&M – SWAC, TBD
- Feb. 13: vs. Jackson State – SWAC, 4 p.m.
- Feb. 15: vs. Alcorn State – SWAC, TBD
- Feb. 18: at Alabama A&M – SWAC, 8:30 p.m.
- Feb. 20: at Alabama State – SWAC, 4 p.m.
- Feb. 25: vs. Southern – SWAC, TBD
- Feb. 27: vs. Grambling State – SWAC, TBD
- Mar. 4: at Bethune-Cookman – SWAC, TBD
- Mar. 8-13: vs. SWAC Tournament – College Park, Ga. (SWAC Tournament), TBD
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network. Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Charlie Ward takes FAMU basketball global with overseas talent.
Originally reported by yahoo.